Relief valve



June 6, 1939. VMRVYHLSKY 2,161,531

RELIEF VALVE Filed Dec. '28, 1936 1 1 4 g In zuqrl. I. III I INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

reyoov V. fry/36y Patented June 6, 1939 UNITED STATES PATE T OFFICE 2,181,531 narmrvntvn Gregory V. Rylsky, New York, N. Y., assignor to Bendix Aviation Corporation, Ind., a corporation of Delaware South Bend,

Application December 2c, 1936, Serial 1%. 117,984

At thepresent time,.several air-pperated gyro-' scopic' instruments are employed, such for instance, as a gyroscopic turn indicator, directional 10 yroscope and a yro pendulum which provides an artificial horizon. Inorder that such instruments may be capable of. efficient operation, it is de sirable that the speed of rotation of the gyro rotors thereof be maintained constant. Air pressure for driving the gyro rotors'is generally supplied either from the air craft engine by operating a pressure or suction pump or by using the suction produced by the intake manifold of the engine or by a Venturi tube projecting from the g wing of the aircraft; In all. of these instances,

however, the air pressure varies with the speed of the engine or ofthe craft and consequently the speed of rotation of the gyro rotors pf the instrument varies accordingly:

g In the present invention, it is proposed to interpose between the pressure supply and the indicator, a novel regulating valve for maintaining the pressure substantially constant. In this specification the term pressure is used inthe broad 3' sense to include, either super-atmospheric or subatmospheric pressure, the latter being-generally designated as a suction and being most usually employed at the present time. It is, therefore, 'one of the objects of the present invention to provide a novel pressure regulating means for supplying air at a'constant pressure to gyroscopic instruments on an aircraft whereby the gyro rotors of said instruments are maintained at a constant speed.

40 Another object of the invention is to provide a novel differential valve including a pressure actuated diaphragm which shall be extremely simple in design, easy to manufacture, and of few parts so asto be particularly easy to assemble.

4,3 Another object is to provide in a pressure regulating system for aircraft instruments a novel differential valve adapted to be placed between the pump and the instruments, comprising a rigid cylinder closed at one end, with a disc cov- 50 cred opening therein, a flexible diaphragm sealing the rigid cylinder at the other end, one side of said diaphragm being exposed to pump pressure and the other side to the atmosphere, whereby said disc is moved from said opening.

- 5 Still another object is to provide in a novel -ripheries thereof. Inside of said casing '1 Claims. -((:L 137-153) pressure regulating mechanism including a perforated casing enclosing a diaphragm and a valve mechanism, one side of said perforated casing leading to said diaphragm and the other side of said perforated casing leading to the valve. 5 The above and other objects and advantages of the invention will appear more fully hereinafter from a consideration of the detailed description which follows, taken together with the accompanying drawing wherein is illustrated one embodiment of the invention. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawing is for the purposes of illustration only andis not designed as a definition of the limits of the invention, reference being had for this purpose to the appended claims.

In the drawing wherein like reference characters refer tdlike parts throughout the several views: 1

Fig." 1 is' a digrammatic showing of the regu- '20 later valve including theair pump and several gyroscopic instruments;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the entireiievice; Fig.- 3 is a bottom view of the device with the bottom half of the casing removed; 5

Fig. 4 is a section taken. generally on line 4-4 2f Fig. 2 showing the diaphragm device in elevaion;

. Fig. 51s a viewtaken along lines 5-5 of Fig. 4 with the top half of the casing removed; and. Fig. 6 is a section taken along line 8-6 of Fig. 5.

Referring tothe drawing and more particularly to Fig. 1, S indicates, generally, a source of pressure such as a vacuum pumpjintake manifold or Venturi tube, said source being connected to the pressure regulating valve I inserted in the pipe line 8 by pipe couplings 9 and leading to the valve 1 comprises, as shown, a casing madeof two parts l1, l8,with a gasket l9 between the peis the valve mechanism 20 which has connected thereto conduits 8a and 8b extending through co-acting sembcircular opening 2!, 22 in the top and bot-.

tom parts l1 and iii of said casing, respectively, and provided with parts 8a, 9b of the pipe cou- I plings 9.

Part ll of the casing is provided with openings or perforations 23 leading to the'interior thereof and covered on the inside by screen 24 held in place by resilient ring 26. Part i9 is provided with openings 23a.

The valve mechanism 20, as best shown in Fig.

6, comprises a rigid cylindrical shell 26 forming a closure at one end with small openings 21 therein forming bleeder ports normally closed by disc 26. Said disc may be polished on one side to cooperate with the polished surface of the area surrounding openings 21. Disc 28 is mounted on one end of rod 29 by soldering or brazing as indicated at 30 or made integral therewith. Rod 29 passes through the bearing 29a and the other end of said rod abuts the flexible diaphragm 32 which is soldered, brazed or welded to cylinder 26 at 33 to seal the other end of said cylinder. Brazed to the top of cylinder 26, near one end of a diameter thereof, is a block 34 on which is mounted regulatable resilient means comprising a spring 35 fastened at one end thereof to said block by' means of screws 36. The other end of the spring 35 bears upon the top of rod 29 to hold disc 26 against the bleederopenings 21.

Also, brazed to the top cylinder 26 is the inverted U-shaped block 31 containing adjusting screw 39 and lock screw 39 therefor (see Fig. to the interior of element 26 is conduit 8a terminating at the other end in part 9a of the coupling 9 while leading from the interior is conduit 8b terminating at its end in part 9b of the coupling.

In assembling the device valve mechanism 26 is inserted in casing part l9, gasket I9 is then inserted on the'periphery thereof and the casing part I! mounted on part I6, the two parts being fastened together by screws 40 (see Fig. l) inserted in openings ll in casing'parts l1 and II. The assembled device is then inserted in place by means of coupling parts 911, 9b.

The operation of the device isas follows: A vacuum produced by pump means S produces a suction in the instruments through the pressure regulating valve 1 and pipes II, II and IS. The

suction enters the interior of the cylindrical element 26 through conduit 6b. Suction, therefore,

is on one side of diaphragm 32 while air-pressure entering through openings 23a is exerted on the opposite side of the diaphragm. When the suction on the inside of cylindrical element 26 exceeds that desired, whereby the instruments II, II and I2 would be speeded up, the atmospheric pressure exerted upon diaphragm 32 pushes the rod 29 upwardly to move the surface contacting disc 29 to uncover the bleeder ports 21 and thereby 'allow air to enter from perforations 23 to reduce the vacuum. The spring pressure of element 35, the disc 28, the size and location of hole 21 andthe diaphragm are so chosen that. equilibrium will be obtained at the value of vacuum desired so as to maintain saidvacuum.

There is, therefore, provided a device for maintaining constant the pressure of the fluid supplied for operating gyro instrumentson aircraft, which device is both simple in operation and construction, which is sturdy and, due to the small number of parts, is easy to assemble and will not Leading What is claimed is:

1'. In a pressure regulating device adapted. to' be inserted between a source'of pressure and aircraft instruments, a cylindrical shell closed at one end, an opening in said end, a disc closing said 5 opening, an imperforate flexible diaphragm brazed to said shell and comprising the sole means for sealing the other end of said shell, said disc being arranged for actuation by said diaphragm, resilient means urging said disc in one direction, and conduit means for said shell providing an inlet and an outlet to said shell for the pressure to be regulated, said conduit means carrying at their ends, coupling means, whereby said device may be readily-inserted in place.

2. In a pressure regulating system for aircraft instruments, a differential valve adapted to be placed between the pump and the instruments comprising a rigid cylinder, aplane surface closing the cylinder at one end with an opening therein, a disc one plane surface of which coacts with-said first plane surface to close said opening; an imperforate flexible diaphragm comprising the sole means for sealing the rigid cylinder at the other end, one side of said diaphragm being exposed to the pump pressure and the other side to the atmosphere, and means whereby said disc is moved from said opening upon actuation of said diaphragm.

3. In a pressure regulator, a rigid container closed at one end and sealed at the other by a diaphragm, an opening in said closed end, a disc .covering said pening and means whereby said diaphragm may actuate said disc, conduit means connected to said container, and provided with conduit connecting means at the ends thereof, a perforated casing comprising two parts surrounding said container and fitting over said conduit means, the perforations in the upper part of said casing leading to said disc and the perforations in.the bottom half thereof leading to said diaphragm, screening means covering the perforationsJnf said upper half and heldin place by resilient means, and resilient means opposing the movement of said disc.

. v 4. In a pressure regulator, a rigid bowl having an open end, an imperforate diaphragm comprising the sole means for sealing the open end of said bowl, 2. flat surface on said bowl, an opening ,said surface, surface contacting means comprising a ,flat member closing said opening, means between said surface contacting means and said diaphragm for actuation thereby and aligned conduit means forming an inlet and an outlet for said bowl.

5. In a pressure regulator, a rigid container having an open end, a portion of said container presenting an outer plane area, an opening in said area, an imperforate diaphragm comprising the sole means for sealing said open end, means 0 presenting apolished surface contact to said plane area and closing said opening, means for moving said first means upon movement of said diaphragm, and adjustable resilient means mounted on said outer plane area; retarding the movement of said first means.

6. In a pressure regulator, a container having an open end, an opening in said container, imperforate diaphragm means disposed opposite said opening and comprising the sole means for sealing said open end, valve means closing said opening, a casing having a plurality of perforations and surrounding said container, part of said perforations leadi g to said valve means and part leading to said diap agm.

'1. In a pressurereguiating device, a rigid cupshaped body having a plane surface, an imperforate flexible diaphragm brazed to the edge ofsaid cup and thereby sealing the same, an inlet to said cup. and an outlet therefrom, an opening in said plane surface, a disc abutting said plane surface on the outside of said-cup to close said opening, spring means mounted on said surface 'and abutting said disc, means on said surface GREGORY V. RYLBKY. 

